Bobbin winding device for sewing machines



Oct. 23, 1962 K. HEDEGAARD 3,059,601

BOBBIN WINDING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 16, 1961 INI/Enron? M13/E /fffGAAPp United States Patent Oiltlce 3,059,601 Patented Oct. 23, 1962 3,059,601 BOBEIN WINDING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES Kristen Hedegaard, Gentofte, Denmark, assigner to G. M. Pfaff A.G., Kaiserslautern (Pfalz), Germany Filed May 16, 1961, Ser. No. 110,520 Claims priority, application Germany June 1, 1960 Claims. (Cl. 112-218) The invention relates to a bobbin Winding device for sewing machines.

Bobbin winding arrangements heretofore known are practically all mounted at the upper part of the standard or upon the cover for the machine arm in immediate proximity to the balance wheel. This is done for the purpose of enabling contacting the Winder in a simple manner with the only rotating member of the machine that projects from the housing, i.e. the balance Wheel, and establishing driving engagement.

The arrangement of the `bobbin Winder at the level of the balance Wheel has, however, a serious disadvantage. In order to insert the bobbin and to remove the same from the Winder, the seamstress has to reach far to the side. Still more serious is the shortcoming that the bobbin Winder is outside of the line of vision of the seamstress. Especially in industrial sewing machines this is disadvantageous, because the Winding takes place during sewing. The seamstress can only control the bobbin Winder during the winding operation if she distracts her attention from guiding the material being sewn at the stitch forming area. Frequently defective and uneven Winding of the ythread results as a consequence of such distractions.

It is an object of the invention to avoid these inconveniences by providing the bobbin Winder at a more advantageous location of the sewing machine, where the time necessary for the seamstress to reach over for exchanging the bobbin is shorter and Where the seamstress can control the Winding operation at any time While sewing, Without interrupting the Work.

Applicant has solved this problem by arranging the bobbin Winder at the head plate of the sewing machine. In this manner the bobbin Winder is introduced immediately into the field of vision of the seamstress, who at all times during sewing can control the orderly Winding by observing the form-ation of the turns on the bobbin without changing the direction of vision. Furthermore, the vertical arrangement of the catcher and bobbin Winder are of particular advantage for exchanging' the bobbin in that the bobbin removed from the catcher is introduced vertically upwardly into the bobbin Winder, while the lled or Wound bobbin can be re-inserted in the looper by a hand movementV in the opposite direction. Finally there is also the possibility which is of value to the industry, that the advantages of the invention can be provided also in existing machines in that the bobbin Winder in accordance with the invention can quite readily be built in subsequently by simply exchanging the head' plate.

In accordance with a further object of the invention a bobbing Winder arrangement is provided which is simpler in construction and which, Without impeding the operations that are to be performed, requires the smallest possible number of components. A bobbin Winder that meets these requirements has a Winder spindle that effects rotatable and longitudinal movementsv and which extends axially of the sewing Amachine, and' which carries coupling means'atthat end which faces the machine arm shaft and which are engageable with a driver secured to the opposite end of the arm shaft. Furthermore, a releasable latch is provided which keeps the coupling means of the bobbin Winder spindle in engagement With the driver against the bias of a spring.

To enable operation of the bobbin Winder in any position of the Winder spindle it is desirable in accordance With a further object of the invention to construct the driven arms resiliently in the direction of the axis of the bobbin Winder spindle.

Further objects of the invention and details regarding the advantages obtained thereby will become apparent from the following specification describing an embodiment which is illustrated in the drawings and in Which:

FIG. l shows the sewing machine partly in section and a part of the Work plate with the new bobbin Winder;

FIG. 2 illustrates the bobbin Winder on an enlarged scale; and

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2 Where the driven arms are turned into the plane of the section.

In the head 1 of the sewing machine the needle bar 3 which cooperates with the catcher 2 in a known manner is driven by the arm shaft 4 by Way of the crank 5, crank stud 6 and guide member 7. The head is closed at the front end by the head or cover plate 8 Which carries the bobbin Winder 9.

The bobbin Winder 9 (FIG. 3) comprises a bushing 11 mounted in a bore 10 of the head plate 8 in which a sleeve 12 is disposed for sliding movement in axial direction. Two peg screws 13 are secured to the sleeve 12 at diametrically opposite locations. The bushing 11 has a pair of longitudinal slots 14 into which said peg screws extend in a manner that the sleeve may be moved longitudinally but cannot eect rotary movement relative to the bushing.

A needle roller bearing 15 is arranged in the sleevel 12 Which receives a Winder spindle 16 which at its outwardly extending end defines a stud 17 for receiving a bobbin 18 and which is provided with a thread at its inwardly extending end 19. The spindle 16 has a collar 20 for limiting axial movement inwardly, and a ange 21 threadedly received on the end 19 limits movement in the opposite direction. The ange 21 carries two driven arms 22 which are displaced at angles of 180 With respect to one another and extend radially outwardly. The driven arms 22 are secured to member 21 by means of screws 23. The free ends 24 of the ydriven arms 22 which are U-shaped in the direction of the crank 5*(FIG. 1) are resilient with respect to the axis p A leaf spring 27 secured by means of a screw 26 (FIG.

2) to the head plate 8 presses the peg screws 13 to the left and thus moves free ends 24 of the driven arms 22 out of the path of the rotating driver conformation 2S. The leaf spring 27 is bifurcated at its end to receive the bushing-11 between the prongs of the fork defined at the bifurcated end.

lThe head plate 8 is provided with a vertical slot 28 aboveV the bore 10. A guide bolt 30 which extends through said slot carries a latch member 29 on the inside of the head plate 8. Two bifurcated arms 31 of the latch member'29 are disposed laterally of the bushing 11. These arms 31 are provided With sliding surfaces 32 extending vertically With respect to the peg screws 13 and merging With inclined surfaces 33. A spring 34 disposed outside the head plate 8 on the guide bolt 30 is supported by Way of a disk 35 against a release segment 37 which is mounted on the guide bolt 30 and presses the latch`mernber 29 lightly against the inside of the head plate 8. The release segment 37 extends toward the bobbin stud 17 and cooperates with the thread that is wound upon the bobbin 18 to accomplish automatic disconnecting of the bobbin Winder 9.

Thread guide means 38 are provided at the lower end of the head plate 8 (FIG. 2) for changing the direction of the thread being Wound and for straightening out the thread.

The bobbin Winder 9 is rendered operative after placing the empty bobbin 18 upon the bobbin stud 17 by moving the Winder spindle 16 axially to the right. Simultaneously the release segment 37 is moved downwardly between the flanges of the bobbin 18 so that the surfaces 32 of the latch member 29 are located in front of the peg screws 13. Thus, ends 24 of the driven arms 22 are held in the path of the driver `25 against the pressure of the spring 27 and are thus carried along by the driver.

The resilient construction of the driven arms 22 permits yielding of one of the arms on the driver conformation as the bobbin Winder is moved into operative position. As a result of the rotating movement of the driver 25, it slides off that end 24 which rests against it and engages the following driven arm 22.

When the thread is being Wound on the bobbin, the release segment 37 is gradually pressed upwardly by the increasing amount of thread on the bobbin 18 whereby the latch member 29 is carried along by way of the guide bolt 30. Simultaneously the surfaces 32 slide past the peg screws 13 so that the inclined surfaces 33 come into engagement with the peg screws 13. Since the pressure of the leaf spring 27 by Way of the peg screws 13 against the inclined surfaces 33 exceeds the sliding friction of the latch member 29, the latter is pushed completely upwardly. This frees the peg screws 13, and the bobbin spindle 16 is displaced axially to its left end position so that the ends 24 of the driven arms 22 are disengaged from the driver conformation 25 and the Winder spindle 16 is brought to a standstill as the flange 21 engages the bushing 11. Simultaneously the release segment 37 is ,completely Withdrawn from its position between the flanges of bobbin 18. The Wound bobbin can now be removed from the stud 17 and replaced by an empty bobbin, whereupon a new winding operation can begin.

If upon removing the filled bobbin no empty one is inserted, the end of the thread which hangs down from the thread guide means 38 may be clamped between the disk 3S and the release segment 37.

Having now described my invention with reference to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, I do not wish to be limited thereto, but what I desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States of America is set forth -in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bobbin Winder for sewing machines of the type having a machine arm presenting a head at one end thereof and a shaft extending through said arm toward said head, said Winder supporting a bobbin externally of said head, said Winder being rotatably supported on said head and including driven coupling means disposed inside said head and said shaft having a driver conformation at its end adjacent said driven means, said Winder having a spindle mounted in axial alignment with said shaft and adapted to effect rotary movements to operate said bobbin Winder and axial movements to effect coupling and uncoupling between said driven coupling means and said driver.

2. A bobbin Winder for sewing machines of the typ having a machine arm presenting a head at one end thereof and a shaft extending through said arm toward said head, said Winder supporting a bobbin externally of said head, said Winder being rotatably supported on said head and including driven coupling means disposed inside said head and said shaft having a driver conformation at its end adjacent said driven means, said Winder having a spindle mounted in axial alignment with said shaft and adapted to effect rotary movements to operate said bobbin Winder and axial movements to effect coupling and uncoupling between said driven coupling means and said driver, said driven coupling means being in the form of resilient arms supported at one end of said spindle and movable with said spindle into the path of movement of said driver conformation.

3. A bobbin Winder for sewing machines of the type having a machine arm presenting a head at one end thereof and a shaft extending through said arm toward said head, said Winder supporting a bobbin externally of said head, said Winder being rotatably supported on said head and including driven coupling means disposed inside said head and said shaft having a driver conformation at its end adjacent said driven means, said Winder having a spindle mounted in axial alignment with said shaft and adapted to effect rotary movements to operate said bobbin Winder and axial movements to eifect coupling and uncoupling between said driven coupling means and said driver, said driven coupling means being in the form of arms supported at one end of said spindle and movable With said spindle into the path of movement of said driver conformation, and said driver conformation being disposed radially of the center of said shaft and movable eccentrically relative thereto and said arms being resilient in the axial direction of said shaft.

4. A bobbin Winder for sewing machines of the type having a machine arm presenting a head at one end thereof and a shaft extending through said arm toward said head, said Winder supporting a bobbin externally of said head, said Winder being rotatably supported on said head and including driven coupling means disposed inside said head and said shaft having a driver conforma-tion at its end adjacent said driven means, said Winder having a spindle adapted to effect rotary and axial movements and extending in the direction of the axis of said shaft, said driven coupling means being in the form of arms supported at one end of said spindle and movable with said spindle into the path of movement of said driver conformation, said machine head comprising a head plate extending transversely of the axis of said shaft and fxedly supporting a collar having longitudinal slots extending on opposite sides thereof, said spindle being received in a sleeve having peg screws extending from opposite sides thereof into said slots and said spindle being rotatable relative to said sleeve and said collar.

5. A bobbin Winder in accordance with claim 4 comprising a latching device supported by means of a bolt above said spindle for sliding movement in said head plate and having latch arms defining longitudinal sliding surfaces merging with oblique surfaces endwise thereof adjacent said peg screws and a spring member supported below said plate and having a bifurcated end presenting spring arms for engagement with said peg screws on the sides opposite said latch arms biasing said peg screws against said sliding surfaces, and a release segment supported on said bolt externally of said head plate, said segment extending into the space intermediate the ends of said bobbin and being movable with said bolt and said latching device upon contact with the thread on said bobbin to change the engagement of said peg screws from said sliding surfaces to said oblique surfaces and permit sliding movement of said screws with said spindle, and said driven coupling means out of the path of said driver conformation.

Snitzer et al Oct. 25, 1892 Hirsh et al. Apr. 8, 1952 

